Mayu Konoe

Violin

Mayu Konoe was born in Amsterdam in 1997. She started receiving violin lessons at the age of four from Professor Coosje Wijzenbeek. A few months later she became a member of Professor Wijzenbeek’s string ensemble “Fancy Fiddlers” and they still perform together regularly. In 2003, she progressed from the conservatory in The Hague to the Amsterdam Conservatory, where she is currently studying at the Sweelinck Academy for exceptionally gifted young musicians. In addition, she receives a scholarship from the International Academy of Music in Liechtenstein, where she participates in the intensive music weeks.

In May 2015, the young violinist and her brother, Takehiro, won with 1st prize at the “Prinses Chrsitina Concours” competition.

At the age of six, Mayu Konoe and her twin brother Takehiro played a duet at Theo Olof’s 80th birthday party, and in the following year, they played again as a duo with Daniel Wayenberg. Two years later they were invited to play in Monaco at Monique Collignon’s fashion show. In August 2008, Mayu and her brother Takehiro were chosen to perform at the “Prinsengracht Children’s Concert” in Amsterdam. Their performance of J. S. Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in front of more than 3000 people was broadcast live on television. Later that year, Mayu Konoe and her brother performed the same piece at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with the “Nederlands Theater Orkest”, and a year later they performed there again with their “Quartet Piccolo”. In 2011, Mayu Konoe and her brother were given the honour of playing Schumann’s Piano Quintet with Lucas Jussen at Menahem Pressler’s masterclass in the Concertgebouw. They have performed together as part of a piano quintet with legendary pianists, such as Menahem Pressler himself at the 125th anniversary concert of the Concertgebouw, Nino Gvetadze, and Paolo Giacometti. Mayu Konoe has also played as a soloist in the “Beurs van Berlage” in Amsterdam and was chosen as one of four soloists to play Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins with the Yehudi Menuhin School Orchestra London at the “YPF Piano Competition 2013”. In 2014, she played Dvorak’s Humoresque in the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ at the Sneak Preview of the “Cello Biënnale Amsterdam”. In 2015, she was invited to the CIMA Festival by Princess Christina, performed with the Residentie Orchestra, played at a concert at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Zurich, and was invited to attend the Festival Internacional de Música Clássica de João Pessoa in Brazil. In 2016, she and her brother Takehiro were invited to perform at the “Grachtenfestival Amsterdam”, and gave three concerts with the “Sinfonietta Rotterdam”. The young violinist also is a regular visitor to the FESTIVAL NEXT GENERATION Bad Ragaz in Switzerland, and participates in masterclasses in France, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

Mayu Konoe is currently a member of the ENSEMBLE ESPERANZA, which is made up of students of the International Academy of Music in Liechtenstein.

The young violinist has received several scholarships from the VandenEnde Foundation in the Netherlands.